How to properly store tires without rims

After tire brands began to leave Our Country, motorists rushed to buy tires for future use. But it’s one thing to snatch a set of some Bridgestone or Michelin in time, and quite another to keep it. It’s good when tires are taken instead of worn ones – nothing will happen to any wheels in 3-4 years of service. And if the old ones are quite for themselves, and the new ones are bought in reserve, and they lie idle for a long time … This is where the question arises: how to properly store tires?

Expert Tips

Do not believe it, but in Our Country there is a whole Research Institute of Storage Problems! The people there are doing one thing: they are scientifically figuring out how to keep different things for as long as possible. Senior Research Fellow of the Institute Olga Magayumova At one time I was engaged in car tires. She told Healthy Food Near Me how to maximize the shelf life of the wheels.

– Tires spoil the so-called atmospheric aging. This is the general effect of ozone and oxygen from the air, solar radiation, heat, moisture, and various oils. Over the years, tires release chemicals that give rubber elasticity. We smell it – new tires always smell. Aged tires become harder and less elastic, which worsens their properties,” Magayumova said.

And here is what advice she gives to motorists:

1. Store tires in tight, untorn bags to reduce exposure to oxygen, light, and any foreign liquids. Ozone is released from the air in sunlight and quickly ages rubber.
2. Tires should not touch copper or rusty metal.
3. Never put anything on top of the tires! Tires without rims should be stacked vertically, with rims stacked horizontally. Every three months it is advisable to rotate the rubber 90 degrees. This way it will keep its shape.
4. It is best to store tires in a dark, dry, cool place. If the sun shines on the tires, there are changes in temperature and humidity, then aging accelerates sharply. 
5. Rubber should be stored at a temperature not lower than -25 degrees and not higher than +35.
6. If the tires are lying on the street, they must be covered from above and lifted off the ground to avoid condensation.
7. It is strictly forbidden to store tires on a wet, greasy/oily surface contaminated with gasoline or oil products.
8. It is undesirable to store tires near heat sources.
9. We do not recommend keeping tires on reflective surfaces (snow, sand) or heat-absorbing surfaces (black asphalt).
10. Do not store tires near chemicals, solvents, fuels, oils, paints, acids, disinfectants.

Tire storage step by step

1. In the garage

• Tires should be bagged to minimize contact with fresh air.
• Rubber should be kept in the darkest, coolest and dryest place in the garage.
• If the floor in the garage is earthen, then flooring must be made under the tires.
• Do not place tires where oil, fuel or harsh chemicals have been spilled. Hydrocarbons can destroy rubber.

2. On the balcony

• A balcony (especially an open one) is considered the worst place to store tires.
• If there is absolutely nowhere else to put it, then first of all we pack the tires in whole, dense, opaque bags.
• Tires should be covered separately with an awning to protect from water and heat on a sunny day.
• The wheels should be placed in the shade as much as possible.
• If the balcony is open, then a pallet must be made under the tires. It is harmful for rubber to lie in dampness.

3. In the apartment

• Tight dark bags are needed anyway to protect from fresh oxygen.
• Do not store tires near a window or radiator – uneven heating is harmful to rubber.
• It is best to keep the tires in the darkest place in the apartment. At the same time, it is not necessary to use the wheels as a shelf – so that the rubber does not lose its shape.

How to properly store winter tires

If the wheels were not bought in reserve for the future, but for constant driving, then they do not need any special storage. Rubber will wear out faster than it will harden with age. In the off-season, it is enough to follow the basic rules described above.

How to properly store summer tires

Basically the same as winter. It is necessary to follow the main advice of experts:

• Tires are best stored in a dark, dry, cool place.
• Excess moisture during storage does not benefit the rubber, so it is better to keep the wheels in any room with a roof.
• Some special attitude to rubber is required if it is not driven much. With high mileage, tires wear out faster than they have time to crack from old age.

Popular questions and answers

Together with an expert, we have prepared answers to the most frequently asked questions from readers about how to properly store tires.